Footwear.



W. O. SHIELDS.

FOOTWEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.2Z,1912.

1 068 087 Y Patented July 22, 1913.

STj g WILLIAM C. SHIELDS, 0F

fill/TRAY, NEW] YORK.

FOOTWEAlEt.

LUGSJOSW.

1' '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, VV'LLLIAM C. Elnmnns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bombay, in the county of Franklin and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Footwear, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improved footwear, and l declare that the following is a full, clear, concise and exact description thereof, sul'licient to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout.

l have chosen the term foot-wear to include a variety of articles, such as moccasins, slippers and sandals, the drawings however illustrating the invention in the form of a moccasin. The article in this case may be assumed to be made of leather, but not necessarily so as any material may be used of a spongy or yielding nature, that is such as may be compressed longitudinally so that the edges of a ply of given length may be reduced into an edge of much less length without folding or doubling it whatsoever at the edge.

By the term compression I mean that the body or substance of the longer edge is shortened to the length of the shorter edge without creasing, fulling or at all doubling or folding the same, or forming ridges on either surface.

In making such articles two blanks are sewed together in forming the too or topcovering portion of the article and then turned inside out. As the blank which covers the bottom and sides of the foot has a much longer edge than the top blank, before it is attached to the latter, such edge must be gathered into the length of the edge of the smaller blank. In doing this the edge of the larger blank has always been crimped or folded, variously and here and there, within the limits of the two attached edges. The exterior surface of the finished article has therefore always had a series of ridges extending from the line of jointure downward on the sides of the foot. I have provided such an article, however, which has a perfectly smooth surface.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows one of the large blanks, and Fig. 2 one of the small fipecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 22, 1912.

Patented July 22, 1913. Serial No. craves.

I ones, which are of about the proportionate size as shown. Fig. 3 is a side view of a finished article. t shows the edge of each of two blanks such as are to be united in the length of the shorter edge and of about the comparative length before attachment. l ig. 5 shows two such blanks partly attached and showing the characteristics of the longer edge before and after attachment to the shorter. Fig. 6 shows the two blanks united. Fig. '4' is a perspective view of two such plies united and turned.

The larger blank is represented by A: the smaller, by 18, each perfectly flat, and of the outline and proportion shown.

The heel portion of A has cuts 1 and 2 forming flaps 8, l and 5. The blank A has its edges turned up in the finished article and 5 are brought around the heel to meet at the back, the blank 4- being turned up and attached to them.

Blank B has fly 7, extending more or less over the instep.

The two blanks are to be united along the edges a o and bo respectively. Start ing as with points a and b coincident, the uniting progresses along both edges to the end where points a and b are coincident. Fig. t illustrates two such edges before the operation has begun while in Fig. 5 the operation is partly done. In Fig. 6 it has been completed. The characteristic spoken of pertains l'iar'ticularly to the blank having the longer of the two edges. As the edges of the two blanks are brought together for uniting the longer edge is crowded up to be engaged by the uniting means and held to the other edge, the former edge becoming thicker than before, as clearly seen.

The several successive operations or acts by which the uniting is effected take place with a frequency relative to the movementof the blanks, which can be regulated at will and the like series of acts of compression take place synchronously with the former acts. Therefore, when more fullness is needed at any given part of the article these acts an be timed with more frequency. This holds in a given length of the shorter edge a greater length of the longer edge and creates a greater fullness in the larger blank after the article is turned. Or the rate of movement of the shorter edge and the frequency of the uniting acts or operations being each constant the several acts of compressing the covering the sides of the foot and blanks 3 I longer edge, or crowding it up to the means which united it to the other may be at a different rate or frequency. These matters of detail are mentioned to make clear the nature and peculiarity of the article produced.

The improved footwear described and illustrated may be produced by the use of any means, or mechanism suitable for the purpose and, within the skill of the ordinary workman, or specially constructed for the work.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The hereindescribed method of providing an article of foot-wear which consists in shaping blanks one to form the bottom and sides of the front part of said art-icle and one to form the top of the same, having edges of different length to be united within the length of the shorter edge, in uniting the two edges, the longer being compressed, with no substantial irregularity in either surface within the length of the shorter while being united thereto, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described process of making footwear comprising as steps thereof the uniting of blanks at edges of unequal length within the length of the shortest edge, the longer edge being compressed in the direction of its length within the length of the shorter edge while being secured to the shorter edge and having smooth inside and outside surfaces.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

-WILLIAM C. SHIELDS. lVitnesses ELEANOR T. DE Gronor, HENRY M. LOVE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

